Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The New Number 20
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The first thing I felt was a refreshing coolness.
Next came a heaviness.
"...Kuh!"
Heavenly Tribulation wailed. Within that sob, I felt my blood vessels surging in every corner.
The roots of Heavenly Tribulation, embedded throughout my meridians, began to writhe bit by bit. They contracted and expanded repeatedly, squeezing the meridians tight.
It wasn't pushing them aside to one side.
It was simply devouring the incoming power.
This wasn't my intention. I had simply tried to channel this power along my meridians and accumulate it in my dantian.
But Heavenly Tribulation was rampaging on its own. This was unexpected. It was different from when I had consumed the spirit pill before.
What if the Fourth Demon had tampered with it somehow...
---Crack!
This wasn't the time to think about anything!
I hurriedly circulated the Lesser Heavenly Circuit. My body's skeleton was twisting in real time, continuously.
Excruciating pain. But I was certain that if I lost consciousness now, everything would fall apart.
My qi was rampaging wildly on its own, and I might lose everything I'd painstakingly built up.
I endured desperately. I struggled to push even the portions of my inner power that were being torn away into my dantian.
My body shuddered violently. My flesh felt as soft as mud, with the sensation of bones protruding outward overflowing through me.
Something was leaking out from my body. It was liquid, but I couldn't even tell if it was blood or sweat.
Heavenly Tribulation was killing me.
At the same time, it was keeping me alive.
I gritted my teeth and held on. The pain lasted for over half a day.
The inner power accumulated in my dantian was only about a fifth of what I'd first encountered. The rest had all been devoured by Heavenly Tribulation.
As I panted and rose to my feet, I realized a foul stench had spread everywhere. I crawled, writhing, toward the water source.
I washed my entire body and moistened my dry lips. It seemed I'd been in my lair for a full day.
Roll call time had long passed. I lay down flat as I was. Staring at the sky, I regulated my breathing.
I could feel Heavenly Tribulation wriggling inside me. The good news was that my body had grown a bit larger.
My skeleton itself had changed. My frame was slightly bigger, and the strength of my bones seemed firmer too.
Above all, the foundation felt solidified, so to speak. I extended my hand. Faintly, I could channel qi to its tip.
A rippling flow of qi.
A hazy but emerging fist aura.
"...Haha."
The entry into the Peak realm.
I had stepped into it.
Clearly, not just for a fleeting moment like before.
The balance of mind, qi, and body was fully achieved.
...
Right after reaching the entry into Peak, many things had changed.
My body felt lighter. A light jump let me leap twice as far as before, and even without channeling inner power, strength filled my fist.
The power of Ghost Hand One Demon had grown stronger too. The first form, executed naturally, could pierce even rock surfaces when infused with inner power, and it allowed me to catch beasts I couldn't have dreamed of before.
What about Soul-Pulling Thrust? It was clumsy, but it could slice through rock. The form wasn't perfect or as straight as Number 20's...
What mattered was that I could now cut what I couldn't before.
"Hoo."
A natural flow emerged even in my exhaling breath.
Enlightenment had come first, but the spirit pill provided the qi to back it up.
My somewhat lacking body had been helped by Heavenly Tribulation devouring the spirit pill's inner power.
I lightly executed Ghost Spirit Step. The form itself had become decent enough that I could move on to the next stage.
The first application form of Ghost Spirit Step.
The Hidden form of Ghost Spirit Step.
I tried mimicking the form I'd seen from Number 20.
The sound and shadow visibly vanished. A faint crunching sound, like stepping on darkness, reached my ears.
I'd heard that mastering the Hidden form properly eliminates presence and sound completely...
As expected, I couldn't replicate it perfectly in one go. Sound and presence still lingered.
Was I truly different from her after all?
Knowing I still lacked talent, all I could do was catch up through steady effort.
Ghost Hand One Demon, Soul-Pulling Thrust, and now Ghost Spirit Step.
I accelerated my martial arts training. Now I could hunt even deeper beasts, even the massive ones.
With more food available, my inner power naturally accumulated.
About half of it was silently taken by Heavenly Tribulation. But I was satisfied with that.
The constant pain that followed my movements had dulled to a faint ache. Once Heavenly Tribulation fully rooted itself, even that pain would probably vanish.
Then, I'd feel no pain except when regenerating my body.
With good news piling up one after another, I was thrilled. The best part was being able to sleep deeply without writhing in agony.
My skills built up bit by bit. I reached for the second application form of Soul-Pulling Thrust.
The sound in Ghost Spirit Step's Hidden form had nearly vanished. I was confident I could now slip past the heads of Black Heaven Axe Sect warriors undetected.
Beyond wolf-like beasts, even to the massive four-legged creatures deep in Demon Valley.
I devoured everything I could eat. I feasted and feasted, steadily building my strength.
The First Demon had been right. The explosive growth bordering on ecstasy was gone.
All that remained was silently taking one step at a time.
One ordinary day, as I leaned on my sword, forgetting to mark the dates, drifting in and out of sleep.
"........."
A new recruit had entered my lair.
Bearing the name Number 20.
From beneath her mask, unusually white hair protruded. She was slightly taller than the previous Number 20.
But her martial prowess was far from that of a newbie. It was on a whole different level from when I'd first arrived.
First-rate. Probably around there.
...It felt like she was on the verge of Peak.
Of course, it wasn't certain. I'd know for sure if we crossed swords. But she didn't even give me the chance.
The new Number 20 said nothing to me. She seemed to already know the situation inside Demon Valley and acted silently, as if I weren't there.
Since she didn't speak to me, I didn't speak to her either. The sharp edge in her qi flow was obvious; even if I approached first, I doubted it'd end well.
But she was clumsier than expected. She acted rigidly and thoroughly, yet showed awkward moments here and there.
Like failing to find the pond I'd discovered the day before and wandering lost.
Or groaning in pain after eating rotten moss, of all things.
Or missing the lair and taking roll call elsewhere.
Ten days after the new Number 20 arrived, I realized it.
---She's an airhead.
Watching her actions made me chuckle. Finally, unable to hold back, I quietly spoke to her.
We had to live in the same space anyway.
If she wanted distance, I'd just teach her the necessities as needed.
"The pond is over there. No one uses it. It's relatively close, so you can get your drinking water there. Better than farther ones."
"........."
"The lairs look similar from the outside, but faint numbers are carved on the rocks. Even if you can't see them, you can feel them with your hands. I recommend not approaching anyone lying down. Number 20. They're all sharp as blades."
I also casually caught a beast and left it at Number 20's spot. The stomach pain from poison was similar, but a full belly felt different.
Number 20, who had silently stared at me without response, finally spoke three days later.
"Do you... like me?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked if you like me, even though you've never seen my face. If so, I want to reject you in advance. I'm not interested in men. I actually despise them."
I got shot down before even confessing.
Stunned by the unexpected question, I shook my head.
"I was just helping a fellow squad member. Sorry if I caused a misunderstanding. If it's uncomfortable, I won't interfere anymore."
"...No other intentions, really?"
"None."
Absurd. This time, I cut the conversation short completely. After keeping my distance from her for a while and quietly doing my own thing, she approached me instead.
In her hand was a snake. Her slightly injured hand wasn't from a bite but from scraping the ground-that much was obvious at a glance.
Getting bitten on your first hunt is hellish. The poison isn't lethal, but it leaves a nauseating, filthy feeling.
She thrust her glorious first trophy at me. Her prickly tone remained the same.
"Eat it. Number 30."
She's no Seong Ja-myeong.
But at least she knows gratitude.
I glanced at the proffered snake. It had been ages since I graduated from these...
The demonic qi gained and the fullness from it were minimal anyway.
"I'm good. You eat it, Number 20."
"...Are you ignoring my gesture right now?"
"Pardon? No, it's just... I'm not really hungry..."
"Are you bragging in a roundabout way that you can casually catch big beasts?"
"What are you talking about?"
Absurd, I shot back. Number 20 thrust the snake at me again.
"Then take it. I hate owing anyone. I don't want one-sided help. I'll repay exactly what I received."
"........."
I took the snake for now. The more I thought about it, the weirder it felt.
What is this?
I got repaid, but it feels like I got insulted for no reason.
"...Thanks. I'll eat well."
I had taken it. After that, the woman brought me more snakes several times.
"Eat."
It was awkward to throw away what I'd received, so I ate it. Only after watching me finish did she leave.
What was this? Why was she doing this?
Even with the mask on, her obvious gaze made my breath stuffy. Had I chosen wrong?
She wasn't retaliating out of wounded pride from receiving help, was she...?
She was an incomprehensible woman. Her inscrutability made her unsettling. The previous Number 20 had been curt, but her intentions were somewhat transparent. She never beat around the bush.
But this woman?
Poison seemed hidden in her acts of kindness.
So I refused the snake she casually offered once.
"I'm full."
"...Ha?"
I felt the new Number 20 glaring from behind her black mask.
"Then how am I supposed to repay you?"
"You don't have to..."
"No. I will. I really hate owing men anything. So eat it. Eat it even if you have to force it down."
"Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"
"Even if it is, eat it."
What a bothersome woman.
I ultimately refused.
"I don't want to eat it."
"......"
From that day, Number 20 stopped coming to me. She started handling things on her own, clumsily but steadily.
I didn't offer her anything either, feeling wary. Time passed like that, and our current distant relationship solidified naturally.
Both sides.
A sense of distance between us.
Channeling sword qi to the tip of Soul-Pulling Thrust became natural. I could feel the realm of Peak, which I'd vaguely grasped, slowly taking shape.
Ghost Spirit Step's speed had increased. The Hidden form reduced that speed somewhat, but it also diminished my presence visibly enough to aid in beast hunting. Combined with Ghost Hand One Demon, it formed an excellent assassination fist right before my eyes.
A steady progress tingled at my fingertips. Heavenly Tribulation's pain had lessened, and at the same time...
Sometimes, it felt like something was stirring inside my body.
What was this? Could Heavenly Tribulation's abilities extend beyond twisting my constitution and granting regeneration?
Along with the question, my thrust sword shattered raggedly. I realized my long weapon needed maintenance.
I needed to repair the sword. This was Seong Ja-myeong's sword. I wanted to use it for as long as possible.
So I asked. The one who came to inspect during roll call.
"...A forge?"
He stroked his chin.
"Impossible. But... your blade is definitely chipped. The form is intact, but it won't fulfill its role properly. I'll issue a new weapon. Return the old sword."
"......"
Bitter words, but unavoidable. I nodded and handed over the sword.
But the man who had left returned the next day and handed me a paper.
"I'll give you a week. Entrust it to the nearby forge. Here's the map and letter. Show these, and they'll prioritize your job."
"...Pardon? Why?"
"Orders from the Captain."
Blood Demon Squad Captain.
She must really want to rope in the First Demon through me.
It had been about half a year since I returned to Demon Valley. I tied back my grown hair and stood.
I felt eyes on me. Envious to death, but pride keeping it from showing outwardly.
Come to think of it...
Her sword's condition is terrible too.
"...Would you also permit Number 20 to accompany me?"
"What? There's a limit to providing conveniences. How dare you..."
"I'd be grateful if you could ask the Captain."
Did she think I was riding on the Blood Demon Squad Captain's coattails?
I could tell her unseen face twisted behind the mask. As if her pride wouldn't allow it, she glared before turning away.
The next day at roll call, he nodded curtly before me and Number 20.
"Start tomorrow. Seven days. If you're not back by the deadline, I'll send a pursuit team."
I nodded.
My first outing in ages.